Over 80% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing. In fact, 60% say content can help generate leads and demand. Content creation is the most outsourced content marketing activity among marketers, too.
Creating and distributing your own press releases can feel stressful and time-consuming. Instead, consider a press releases distribution service.
What is a Press Release Distribution Service?
A press release distribution service is a company or platform that helps organizations disseminate their press releases to a wide audience of media outlets, journalists, and other relevant stakeholders. These services typically offer the following:
- Distribution networks: They have established relationships with various media outlets, news websites, and journalists.
- Wire services: The best press release distribution service for small businesses, eReleases.com, also offers nationwide distribution on Cision PR Newswire’s press release wire, the leading newswire for press releases, a service not available from other providers.
- Targeting options: They allow users to select specific industries, geographic regions, or types of media to receive the press release.
- Formatting and optimization: They often provide tools to format press releases according to industry standards and optimize them for search engines.
- Analytics: Many services offer tracking and reporting features to measure the reach and impact of the distributed press release.
- Additional features: Some services may include multimedia options, social media sharing, or translation services.
The main goal of these services is to increase the visibility and potential coverage of a company’s news or announcements.
How Press Release Distribution Services Work
Here’s how they work:
- Submission: You write your press release and submit it to the service.
- Review: Some services, like eReleases offer editorial review to ensure quality and adherence to guidelines.
- Distribution: The service sends your release to their network of media contacts and platforms.
- Syndication: Many services also post your release on their own websites and partner sites.
- Reporting: You receive analytics on views, clicks, and potential reach.
Why you Should Consider Using a Distribution Service
- Wider reach: Access to a broader audience than most companies can achieve on their own.
- Time-saving: Eliminates the need to manually send releases to individual contacts.
- Credibility: Distribution through reputable services can lend authority to your news.
- SEO benefits: Online distribution can improve search engine visibility.
- Media relationships: Quality services have developed relationships with media sources, increasing the likelihood of your press release getting coverage.
- Targeting: Ability to reach specific industries or geographic areas relevant to your news.
- Multimedia integration: Options to include images, videos, or other rich media with your release.
- Consistency: Ensures your message is delivered uniformly across multiple channels.
Not sure who to hire? Use these tips to find the best press release service today!
Outline Your Goals
Before rushing to create a list of press releases distribution agencies, take a moment to outline your marketing goals. Then, you can choose a distribution company that offers services that align with those goals. If you neglect to outline your goals first, you might waste valuable time and money.
For example, perhaps you want to use press release distribution services to gain brand visibility. Then, you can generate brand awareness and recognition with your target audience.
Perhaps you want to combine your press release and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. You can generate awareness, traffic, and brand credibility using SEO.
Maybe you’re interested in specific media outlets or want to benefit from influencer marketing.
Once you outline your goals, you can determine the press release service you need to accomplish each one.
If one of the distribution companies on your list lacks the services you need, you can save time by removing them from the list.
Review Their Outlets
Once you determine your goals, consider the media outlets each distribution company covers.
Some companies have partnerships with only a handful of media outlets. Other press release distribution agencies partner with thousands of outlets. They might have professional connections with specific journalists that can benefit your PR strategy, too.
Determine how many media outlets the distribution company partners with, including:
- News outlets
- Aggregators
- Influencers
- New content systems
- Media outlets
Determine if they can guarantee placements on major news sites as well. For example, perhaps they can get your press releases featured on Yahoo, Google News, or Bing.
Before choosing a distribution company, ask them for a list of their media outlet partnerships. Then, determine which outlets can help you accomplish your goals. Highlight outlets that ensure you’re reaching your target audience, too.
If the outlets on their list don’t appear in front of your ideal customers, it’s not the right fit.
Define Your Ideal Customers
In order to reach your ideal customers with press release distribution, you need to know exactly who those customers are.
First, determine who your customers are based on demographics. Consider their:
- Age
- Gender
- Location
- Marital status
- Career
- Education
- Language
Then, think about psychographics like pain points, buying behaviors, and hobbies.
Where do your customers find the information they need? Perhaps they search on Google or follow specific publications.
Determine if you want to focus on readers who subscribe to specific industry publications, too. Make sure those publications appear on the media outlet lists you’ve requested.
Explore the Features
Before choosing a press releases distribution company, consider the services they offer in addition to distribution.
For example, perhaps you lack experience writing press releases. Press releases are written and formatted a certain way. Otherwise, journalists and publications might not give them a glance.
Maybe you want to add multimedia to your press releases to help them stand out.
Make sure the company offers services you need based on the goals you’re trying to achieve.
Look for Reporting Services
You need to know if your press releases are helping you accomplish the goals you outlined. With that in mind, find a company that offers reporting services. Otherwise, you might not realize they’re wasting your time and money until it’s too late.
Determine how often the company will send you reports. Otherwise, determine if they’ll give you access to an analytics platform.
Consider the metrics they track as well. For example, they might indicate how many readers viewed your release. Perhaps you want to track how many people clicked on the link to your website from the release.
Tracking your successes can help you gain valuable insights. Then, you can use the data you gather to make more informed choices in the future.
Consider Your SEO Strategy
Nearly 70% of experiences online start with a search engine.
Search engine optimization can help your rankings on search engines like Google improve. Higher rankings will ensure your content reaches more consumers. You can use SEO to reach people searching for your products and services, too.
Improving your search visibility can also help you gain brand awareness. Ranking higher than competitors will boost your credibility as well.
Determine if the press release distribution agency offers SEO services. With their help, you can reach more customers than ever before.
Ask for Support
What happens if you experience problems after hiring the press release agency? Determine if they have a strong customer support system in place.
You’ll have peace of mind knowing you can always reach out for help.
Read Reviews
Learn about the company from clients who were once in your position. Take the time to read online reviews about each business on your list. Look for a business that already has a strong reputation in the industry.
Reviews can help you determine if the company is worthy of your trust.
Are the clients satisfied with the services they received? What problems did they encounter with the agency?
Look for complaints that repeat between clients. Chances are, you’ll experience the same problems, too.
Compare Prices
Ask three different press distribution companies for an itemized pricing list of their services. Ask what’s included with the estimate, too. Then, compare your options.
If one company’s pricing is higher than another’s, determine why. For example, perhaps one company partners with more media outlets than another.
Expand Your Reach: Choose a Press Releases Distribution Company Today
Expand your digital reach this year! Use these tips to choose a press releases distribution service. Then, start engaging your target audience with high-quality press releases.
With help from an experienced agency, you can set your PR strategy up for success.
Eager to get started? We’re here to help.
Discover our press release distribution services today.